I'm so excited to start the year with my first travel. Me, my parents, my ate and some relatives will be heading up north to celebrate my uncle's wedding. He is Alfredo Denzo, Jr, the half-brother of my father, who i met when im in college already. He grew up in Davao and works in Dubai as an IT specialist. His soon to be wife is Christine from Pampanga where the wedding is set. We will still get to know her when we'll get there.

My uncle is still young so i call him Kuya Kuyo (his nickname). He saw the photos of the invitations that I made for my dad's party, so asked me to do his wedding invitations. His color motif is Honeysuckle Pink, best known as the 2011 PANTONE Color of the Year. They wanted something simple and elegant with traditional wedding elements such as doves and flowers. Here's a moodboard of the wedding invitation I did.


After a lot of revisions and proof-reading here's the final look of the wedding invitation. The colors may differ from the photo. I hope they like it :D More photos after the jump!

Wedding doves are having a comeback :D
Bye helium balloons!

I really enjoyed this on-the-spot prenup shoot. After shooting in one of our locations we honestly don't know where to shoot next. I have been longing to have a conceptual prenup shoot at the carnival where the couple is just having fun like kids.

I remember this place in Guiwan where the carnival is set during Fiesta Pilar on October. Since it's already December, the rides were transfered at ADZU for the Ateneo Fiesta. This was the only ride left there and it wasn't even fully assembled. 'Twas just perfect! There were lots of kids playing around which made the mood very joyful.

The post processing is inspired by the old carnival days which also brings nostalgia from our childhood days. We used the photos for their guestbook, too. Check the layout here.

Update: Watch their SDE/Onsite Video here.



Coordinator: Joe Harris Kari Events and Event Styling
Designer: Angking Francisco
Styling: Creative Asylum
Hair & Make-up: Kuku
Photography: Ryann Z. Elumba
Post-processing: Cedrick Zabala

Just wanna write this post before 2011 will come to an end. For me 2011 is a year of oxymorons. To get what i mean here are some phrases that describes my year:

Independently Dependent

Burning Cold

Freedom in Captivity

Boringly Fun

Intelligently Dumb

Breathing without Air

Stressfully Relaxing

Emotional Robot

Silent Noise

Calm Waterfalls

Beginning of the End

2011 is a year of adventures and adversities. This year I got to live as a working person and not as a student anymore. I travelled and got to work outside the city and had lots of fun. I had my funnest moments with my family but i also got distanced from them due to some decisions i made this year. I focused a lot in my professional growth and got to learn so much things in the process. I experienced new things like being a coordinator/event stylist, having my worst meltdown, winning a national competition, witnessing a unique cultural event, back-to-back-to-back-to-back events, my first weight loss and so much more.

It is a year of extremes where i started the year with betrayal, learning to confess, accept responsibilies, facing consequences and ended up with regaining trust. It is a year of extreme world events such as the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, Haiti and New Zealand Earthquakes, Extreme Supermooon, Typhoon Sendong, World Revolutions (Egypt, Libya, etc), and more. It's as if the world is turning back against us.

It is a year where I have to make decisions on my own and be who I wanted to be. I have freedom and so many choices yet I have to go where my heart tells me where to go. I want to improve my skills and share it to people. I have felt such a range of emotions that only exprience and real life can give me. I felt more human but at the same time i still have that sense of wonder of what more can life give me. However, there are tons of factors to consider in every decision. I can't answer my own questions but only time can tell. It has been a crazily sane year and im looking forward to a great and better 2012. Cheers!

How was your year? Well, here is a video which shows how the world went according to Google. It is called "Zeitgeist 2011: Year in Review," a video which compiles data from global queries from the world's biggest search engine. Zeitgeist, also known as "spirit of times", is the general cultural, intellectual, ethical, spiritual or political climate within a nation or even specific groups, along with the general ambiance, morals, sociocultural direction, and mood associated with an era (src: wiki). 2011 is a year of adversity, crossroads, remembrance, possibility, and inspiration. Check out the highlights of 2011 and ponder how your year went...

This year I had the opportunity to shoot during the street dance parade for our city's Hermosa Festival. It is one of the highlights of the fiesta where students are on their colorful outfits, joyously dancing to the lively beat. Even though the weather is gloomy, the vibrant array of graceful dancers didn't stop to pay tribute to the miraculous shrine of La Virgen del Pilar. Every movement and detail tells different stories about our city and every story is of great significance in our existence today. Along side the street dancers are huge floats made of flowers depicting the beautiful scapes and sceneries that Zamboanga is truly proud of. Here are some of my photos of the said event together with some story about Zamboanga.


Colores y Bailes. A festival without colors is like a flower without fragrance. Colors and Dances come together to show our celebration of life. Hermosa means "beauty", and this festival is all about the beauty. The beauty of our city, its culture, people and heritage.


Adelante. The war cry of Zamboanga which means "to go forward". Amidst all the negative image of the city, together we move forward and push through all the obstacles and become frontliners of peace and development. We do it with the guidance of our faith and harmony amongst our brothers and sisters.


Bellas y Personas. What makes Zamboanga special is the diversity of its culture and people. It is the melting pot of Western Mindanao where people live together in harmony despite of differences in customs and beliefs. We believe that respect begets respect, and love begets love (amor con amor se paga).


Hardin de Flores. Zamboanga was once dubbed as the City of Flowers. Accordingly, the place grew the most number of species of endemic flowers, the most biodiverse in the region. Before it became Zamboanga, Subanons were the first settlers of this ancient place called Jambangan ("Flowers arraged in a Vase"). In the early years of Zamboanga as a city, the streets were once filled with bougainvillea vines and the plaza were filled with a kaleidoscope of floral life.


La Abundancia del Mar. Zamboanga is also known as the Sardines capital with 8 out of 11 sardines companies located in the region. The seas of Zamboanga are rich with natural resources such as seaweeds and aquatic life. Aside from the food that it supplies, it also supports livelihood among the people sustaining almost 20,000 workers in this industry alone.


Nuestra Senora La Virgen del Pilar. The gloomy weather cannot stop the people from shouting out these phrases. Zamboanga's patronness, our Lady of the Pillar, was introduced during the establishment of the Real Fuerza del San Jose in 1635, built during the Spanish period. Hermosa Festival is one of the oldest festival in the country.


La Herencia Latina. Zamboanga is known to be Asia's Latin City for its highly influenced hispanic roots. During the building of the fort, Zamboanga had a transformation. The Spaniards introduced Christianity to the locals. They also learned to speak spanish and therefore creating a creole language known as Chabacano de Zamboanga. The Latin heritage can also be seen in the architecture, food, clothing, music, dance and more.


Mariposa. Where there are flowers, there are butterlflies. A Butterfly is a symbol of transformation and beauty. Like flowers, they come in different colors and sizes. They both represent the Hermosa festival which is a festival of the celebration the beauty of life. Zamboanga is like a butterfly undergoing metamorphosis adapting to change and developing into a better beautiful place to live in.


Vamos a Zamboanga! Let us not be ignorant about the rich culture that Zamboanga has to offer. It is a peaceful place that is worthy of recognition and many people missed its wonderful festivities. There are places to be visited, delicacies to be tasted, music to be heard, sceneries to be seen, stories to be heard and experiences just waiting for you to be discovered.